A New Beginning
by DomainMistress
Summary: In which Tenten copes with the aftermath of the final war, and realises that she's not as lonely as she thinks. Multi-chapters. Spoilers alert.


A New Beginning

There were moments in Tenten's life were she would curse the fact that she was born a lone wolf. These moments rarely occurred, but when they did she more often than not felt a horrid feeling of loneliness engulf her. She was a kunoichi, a warrior, a fighter, but she was still a woman; a woman with feelings and desires, a woman who was, at times, a girl with not a care in the world.

During moments like these, she found it hard to cope with anything and everything, and felt the need to have someone by her side who would understand whatever it was that she was going through. She wanted (needed) a shoulder to cry on, a warm hug - whatever it was that would comfort her lonely soul.

She opened her eyes slowly and sat upright on her bed. Her hair was disheveled and she felt the ever familiar drops of sweat on her forehead. She had had another nightmare in which she was (and still is) a prisoner of war, fighting for a forgotten cause amongst comrades.

She had, if only a little, adapted to the battlefield occurrences; of the screams and cries, of the blood and tears, of the deaths and victories (but mostly the defeats). She was accustomed to the clang of kunai against kunai, weapon against flesh and the pain of all the physical scars. She knew them all too well that it was scary.

But it was _his _death that she could never get used to. Every nightmare that plagued her sleep, every dream that transformed into her biggest fears, contained flashbacks of him. She would scream and thrash, wishing for the nightmare to end but it would continue all night long.

She got off her bed and walked towards her bathroom. Opening the tap, she washed her face with cold water. The kunoichi looked at her reflection in the small mirror.

She had gotten used to this version of herself; the one with the tangled chestnut hair, pale skin, a malnutritioned figure and brown eyes that held little hope (she missed the days when her eyes were so full of hope and love and determination).

She bit her chapped lips and closed her eyes.

It wasn't fair. He should have lived.

Oh, how she wished she could have been strong. She wanted to live, if not for herself then for him. But she couldn't. She felt weak and ill and all that happiness in her had died when he died. The mere thought of smiling, of doing what she always used to do, drained what little strength she had.

It was 3 months after the war, 3 months in which he was there no more, 3 months in which she fled like the coward she was.

_Coward. _She never thought such a word would ever be associated with her. She was strong-minded, stubborn, determined and so full of hope. She never backed down from a battle, always had a firm grip on life. She had always been so anchored to her beliefs and thoughts, so kind and gentle yet so brave and strong. She looked at her hands with disgust, ashamed and disappointed of the person she had become.

He would have been disappointed in her, too.

A knock came from her door. She wondered who the person was. Maybe it was her landlord asking her to pay her overdue rent.

She walked the short distance to her door, all the while kicking some kunai and shuriken that were scattered in her path. She unlocked the door slowly.

It was Rock Lee.

He hadn't changed much, really. He had resumed his missions and his training. She wondered how he could stay so jovial and how he could move on after all that has changed.

After the war, he would visit her every week or so and bring with him grocery bags. It was because of him that she hadn't died of starvation (she barely left her apartment anymore). He would tell her stories of his missions and would update her on the daily gossip of the village. He smiled and laughed and talked on and on and on, yet it was obvious to both of them that it was a one-sided conversation.

He wasn't smiling this time, though, and he wasn't holding any grocery bags. He hadn't even moved from his place.

She opened her door fully as to give him space to move in, but he just stood there. His dark eyes were looking at her, through her, and his thick eyebrows were furrowed.

She only felt the impact of his slap a moment later.

She tumbled back, catching herself before she fell. Her hand instinctively went to her cheek. Her mouth was agape and her eyes were wide with alarm.

It had been so long since she had felt anything other than emotional pain.

Lee's eyes were full of tears, and his hands were trembling with unkempt anger, frustration and guilt.

"Gai Sensei always told me to treat women with respect."

She felt her own eyes tear up, but just as the first tear rolled down her cheek, Lee screamed.

"No! You won't cry. Stop. Aren't you tired of crying?!"

She wiped her cheeks with both her hands, feeling awfully foolish.

"Tenten, you can't keep doing this to yourself. Where is the Tenten we always loved and cherished? The Tenten _he _loved? You used to be so strong, so brave, and Neji was so proud of you. We were all proud of you."

_Neji. _She internally recoiled at the sound of his name.

Lee raised his hand again, but she caught it right before it hit her again. She twisted his arm and with swift movements was able to lock both of his hands behind his back. She pushed his body towards her door so that his back was facing her and both his hands were locked behind him.

He gave a chuckle.

"That's what I'm talking about!"

She let him go, and for the first time in so long she felt herself smile. Lee gave her a goofy smile, and soon she was laughing, and he was laughing and this small flame of happiness reignited itself within her heart.

"Lee, I'm so sorry. I just- I miss him. And it hurts so much."

He gave her a sad smile.

"I know." He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We all do. But there's no use in locking yourself up. You need to live."

She nodded her head, but it was easier said than done.

"Pack your weapons. You and I have an overdue sparring match." he exclaimed with energy.

She stared at him. It took a moment for her to process what he said, and when she did she shook her head and moved back into the confines of her apartment. She wasn't ready to see the world (without _him_).

"No, no. I can't."

"You can and you will." he grinned, his eyes full of determination and life.

She grabbed what few weapons she could before she was dragged to their old sparring grounds.

It had been ages since the sun had shone on her skin. She felt warm and giddy. She took in a gulp of fresh air, loving the way the breeze would caress her face and cool her down when she got too warm.

The leaves of the trees were lush and green. Several birds soared overhead while others chirped and sang. She looked upon the trunks of the trees with a sorrowful gaze as she noticed the cuts and dents from several years of training.

_She threw several of her weapons at Neji, but he moved with such fluidity that not a single kunai injured him. She glanced distastefully at the kunai that were now embedded in a large tree. _

_I"ll have to take them out later, she sighed, her focus momentarily lost._

_Neji used these few seconds to his advantage. He threw one of her kunai right at her shoulder. Tenten moved away, the kunai grazing her arm. Grimacing, she jumped into another tree, hoping the lush green leaves would conceal her if only for a moment._

_She bit her lip. She had run out of weapons. She jumped off the tree, knowing very well that she had to use her hands and feet to fight. She was relying on her stamina and strength, hoping that after all these years her taijutsu techniques were effective enough to last her a few moments._

_She looked around, spotting him a few feet away. His hair was slightly disheveled, but other than that he seemed untouched. He was smirking, his white eyes mocking._

"_Oh, shut up, Hyuuga. We're not done yet."_

_His smirk only deepened._

_She charged at him, but rather than punching or kicking him she flew to his side. He only gave a moment of hesitation but that was all she needed. She used strings to control the weapons that were scattered on the floor, and was able to send them flying at her teammate._

_She grinned, but her victory was short-lived as Neji used his eight trigrams palms revolving heaven. He deflected all her weapons, much to her disdain, and reappeared unscathed._

_He smiled tauntingly, and she scoffed._

"_Still not done." she muttered, but stopped when she noticed the blood dripping from her forearm. She inspected the injury, and realised that it wasn't a mere graze; it was deep, and the blood hadn't yet stopped._

"_Show me." he said, as he moved closer. _

_He frowned as he saw her arm, his eyebrows furrowed._

_He went to retrieve the bandages, and she used that time to regain her energy. The sun hadn't set yet, but the weather had gotten colder. The breeze that once caressed her face was now more violent, but she didn't mind it one bit. She smiled to herself, allowing the cool wind to calm her beating heart._

_The Hyuuga prodigy returned and sat down next to Tenten. His fingers were nimble as he cleaned the cut. She watched as he took out the long roll of bandages and gauze, his calculating eyes focused solely on the job at hand._

_In Konoha, Neji was known to be selfish and cold-hearted, but that was only how by-standers and strangers perceived him. His friends new better (Tenten liked to think that she knew him best)._

_He could be a complete jerk sometimes, but he was still human. He had feelings and dreams and wishes (he could also be very caring and gentle, and Tenten selfishly wished that he only showed her that side of him)._

_She glanced at the various cuts and long-forgotten scars on her arm. Her hands had several scars, too. Her hands were unlike a proper lady's hands; her nails were chipped and her skin was slightly rough yet her hands were still feminine in their size. _

_Just as Neji had finished bandaging her arm, Tenten asked, "Do you think they're ugly? My scars, I mean."_

_The sunlight shone on his pale skin, causing it to glow a soft yellow. His eyes were fixed on her as he took a moment to answer. _

"_No, not necessarily. We've all got scars. It's part of being a ninja."_

"_Yes, I know, but still."_

"_I never knew you cared about such things."_

_She lay down on the grass, staring at the sky. _

"_I don't care." she answered. "It's just that sometimes I like to wonder."_

_He crossed his legs beside her, his face turned towards the sky. The sun had started to set, changing the once blue sky into a spectrum of yellow, red and orange. He closed his eyes, his dark lashes causing dark shadows to form on his skin. _

"_I don't think they're ugly, if that's the answer you were looking for. Never think of your scars as burdens or imperfections; they're part of your past, part of who you are. You've earned them through extensive training and hard work. Every scar you have tells a different story."_

_She remained silent. _

"_Hey, Neji?" she whispered after a while._

_He turned his head to look at her. _

"_Do you think that if we weren't ninjas, and if we lived in completely different places, that we would be friends if our paths miraculously intertwined? Hypothetically speaking, of course."_

_The wind blew violently, shaking the trees and sending the leaves high into the sky._

"_Yes, I think we would." he said, his voice barely above a whisper. It was a silent promise, a secret oath, that was carried by the breeze to wherever the wind would take it._

She snapped out of her reverie when Lee threw a kunai at her, but she dodged it easily (his aim was not precise).

"Tenten!" he shouted. "You have to focus on the now! Don't dwell on the past."

He leaped at her, throwing several punches that she was able to dodge and block. She back-flipped into the air, and retrieved various weapons from her pouch. She threw them with such precision that Lee had to solely focus on dodging them as not to get injured.

Butterflies erupted in her stomach. Oh, how she had missed the thrill of fighting! She loved the rush of adrenaline that coursed through her blood, loved the sound of the kunai as it flew through the sky and at her enemy, loved the way she could fly and jump and leap as though she was dancing with the wind.

Training with Lee was different to training with Neji. With Lee, she was just throwing kunais and dodging attacks. Lee was competitive and lithe, his agility and speed forcing her to calculate her moves quickly and with precision. He was better at close-combat, whereas she was more skilled up in the trees with a hoard of weapons by her side.

Neji, on the other hand, was strong and sturdy. He was skilled at both close and distant combat, and could deflect her weapons with more ease compared to Lee. With Neji, she liked to think that they were partners in a sophisticated dance; a dance that changed and altered with every tap of the feet or flick of the wrist, a dance that required skills and patience and passion, so much passion. They were dancing to the beating of their hearts, to the chirping of the birds, to the rustle of the leaves.

They were dancing to music that only they could hear (and she loved every second of it).

It was only when the sun came down that they stopped their training. They were both exhausted, their skin hot from the weather and sticky from sweat. Breathing heavily, she drank from the canteen of water that Lee had passed to her. She composed herself and turned towards her close friend.

"Lee, thank you. I really needed that slap in the face. I feel a lot better now."

"Yes! Our youthful flower has bloomed again!" he exclaimed.

She rolled her eyes, smiling nonetheless. Now that Neji wasn't here, she'd have to endure all of Gai and Lee's youthful talks alone.

_Neji_. Her heart constricted at his memory. She frowned at the realisation that all he had become now was a memory; something of the past that can never again be reclaimed.

"You know that you're not in this alone, right?" came Lee's voice. "We're all here for you. You just have to know that you can always reach out to us. Me, Gai Sensei, Sakura, Hinata and Naruto to name a few."

She hadn't seen them since Neji's funeral. She chastised herself for not thinking about them.

"You really think so? After ignoring them for 3 months, you think they'd welcome me with open arms?"

"I know so. It really isn't you to be so doubtful, mostly when it concerns your friends."

"Yeah, I know. I guess his death really changed something in me. Hopefully not permanently, though."

Lee gave her a knowing look, and extended his arms towards her. She accepted the friendly hug, and although they were both sweaty and hot the simple gesture made her heart swell and left her with a smile that lasted throughout the whole night.

When she went back home, she took a quick shower and ate a small meal before succumbing to her exhaustion. Sleep was still torture to her for she was stuck in a time loop of horrible memories and hallucinations.

The only difference was that this time, when she opened her eyes, she knew that there were people out there who loved her and would do anything to see her smile.

She was going to pave her path, even if he wasn't there with her. She was going to make him proud.

Author's Note: There are few fanfictions out there that rediscover the friendships between the characters in Naruto, so I decided to write my own story. Hope you enjoyed. Constructive criticism is welcome (as well as reviews).


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